“When I started as a public servant ang palaging naiisip ko ay sana hindi ko naman kayo mapahiya, sana ay proud kayo sa akin.”
“’Yung husay ko ganoon din ang husay ninyo dahil nasa iisang institusyon lang naman tayo.”
"Andaming gumagawa ng something for me pero ‘pag kayo yung gumagawa parang affirmation ‘yun that I am doing something right."
“I am proud that I am a product of Vincentian education.”
These were some of the heartwarming words that our incumbent vice president and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo gushed out in her speech last February 7 during the Universidad de Sta. Isabel’s (USI) event, "𝑽𝑷 𝑳𝒆𝒏𝒊 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑼𝑺𝑰: 𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆"
When the five-month campaign cycle began, presidential candidate Leni Robredo was greeted warmly and welcomed in her hometown, Naga City. It's no secret that she graduated from Universidad de Sta. Isabel (USI), and through the years of being the Vice President, she had proven that she had been, is still, and forever will be, a Vincentian Public Servant.
Our dear vice president always had a heart for the poor, always ready to extend help to those needing them. As an Isabelina, her consciousness for community service and “being with the poor and for the poor” was instilled within her heart at an early age. She travels for hours to visit and extend help to the poorest of the poor, the different indigenous groups, and the victims of different calamities. Those neglected are being focused on, especially those Filipinos standing at the edge and making ends meet. Her response to the COVID-19 pandemic is effective and innovative, which clearly expresses her commitment to the Filipino people beyond her duty.
Isabelinos and Isabelinas are expected to embody the value of Vincentian excellence, and Robredo has upheld this virtue the very moment that she stepped out of the institution—not just as a Vice President but as a long-time lawyer standing up for the poor. The way she led the country all these years assures us that the votes and trust of the people who would be supporting her won’t be put to waste. In her exact words, she was “nurtured” by the institution. She lived out the values that she acquired during her education.
A wise woman as she is, her degrees and career can also speak for her excellence. Despite all these achievements, she is a woman that radiates humility and love—a devoted mother, a humble friend, a simple Filipino citizen, and a public servant who seeks to serve and not to be served. Living simply with her family and still doing the things that normal people do, she is a woman with visions and integrity. VP Leni remains firm with her advocacies and stands regarding different controversial and societal issues.
A lot of Kakampinks is now perturbed and are having doubts—“What if our dear vice president doesn’t win? What kind of country would the Philippines become?” However, let us all keep our faith and remember that goodness will prevail. People’s sincere prayers for the goodness of the country and the hope for the future of each family is powerful. If we are in the right and our hearts are in genuine service, everything we hope and do will be guided by the Lord. Indeed, this applies to our future president of the Philippines, Ma. Leonor “Leni” Gerona Robredo.
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Please do check out VP Leni’s platforms through this link: lenirobredo.com
#TheUSI-FacadeSupportsVPLeni
Art by Angelo Rodriguez